The Law of Entropy
by N. Aepic Fael
Summary: What if Tatsumi decided to join Esdeath, in hopes of saving Lubbock? What if, he discovered a secret that would redefine what he had previously known? An AU set where the Jaegers never died. My first attempt at an AGK story, so criticism is welcome.
1. Chapter 1

**I know, you probably hate me for starting another story, but I couldn't get this idea out of my head. At this rate, I'll probably make another fic later on, though probably not in this universe.**

Tatsumi sighed inside of his prison cell.

His exploits in Night Raid had finally gotten the best of him, and now he and Lubbock were in prison.

He hoped that, at the very least, Lubbock would get out of this ordeal alive back with the boss. It was not veiled that he was receiving far better treatment than his comrade.

Comrade...

Sighing, he knew what he had to do. It was time to be executed for getting caught.

Unless...

There was another option.

One that might even save Lubbock's life.

"Hey, Wave," he called out to the person who was guarding him. "Can you call for Esdeath, please?"

Wave was stunned. In the small amount of time he had known tatsumi, He had always attempted to avoid Esdeath. Had the pressure really overtaken him?

"Please, Wave, I want to get this over with before Lubbock dies."

Shaking his head, Wave made his way to get Esdeath.

As he made his way towards the temporary room she was staying in to stay with Tatsumi, he had only placed his knuckles on the door before it opened in a hurry.

"What is it?" Esdeath asked excitedly.

"Tatsumi wanted you, ma'am."

Before he even finished that sentence, Esdeath had ran towards where he was being held.

"Did I phrase that wrong?" mused Wave while running after her. "Maybe I should have said he wanted to see her."

* * *

Tatsumi looked at the wall anxiously. He knew that his message would get relayed and that Esdeath would come almost instantly.

But, still...

He heard his cell be unlocked and he was tackled into a joyous hug from Esdeath.

"So you will join us?" asked Esdeath excitedly.

Tatsumi nodded, and was promptly hugged again.

"But I have several conditions."

Esdeath pulled away and looked him in the eye. "Name them."

"Lubbock goes home alive and relatively safe."

"Hmm," she mused. "That's going to be pretty rough, with that old geezer around. But don't worry, I won't let him be harmed while he is here, at the very least."

Wave was stunned. Was she really going so far to keep Tatsumi by her side?

"We leave the Empire to itself."

Esdeath grew serious for a moment. "I'm afraid I cannot allow that to happen."

Tatsumi sighed. He figured she would be like this.

"You said that all you want is to have the thrill of fighting, not protecting the Capitol. You've both seen the horrors of the Capitol."

Wave looked away. It was true that he resented the corruption within the Empire, but he wanted o be able to change it from the inside.

Esdeath's moth quirked into a smirk. "Oh, and you are saying that you know a way to keep me satisfied?"

"I might if you granted my third condition."

"What is it?"

"I want to speak to the Lord later. Alone."

Esdeath blinked. She then had a perverted smile on her face.

"Oh, trying to get religious approval for marriage?"

Tatsumi blinked before flushing a crimson red.

Esdeath laughed. "Don't worry, I'll try to accommodate all of your requests. Wave, make sure that Lubbock is placed in here as well. It's easier looking after two people if they are in the same place."

She then moved in closer slightly. "Hurry," she whispered. 'i don't want to break it to Tatsumi that his friend may already be broken."

Wave nodded in agreement before running off to Lubbock's jail cell.

Hopefully, he wasn't too late.

"Now, Tatsumi," Esdeath said in a sultry voice. "I must punish you for running away from me before.

Tatsumi shivered and closed his eyes as she made her way in closer. She purred slightly as she nibbled his right earlobe.

"Your punishment?

"You are now my slave. You belong to me.

"And I will make sure that you never run away from me again."

* * *

Thankfully, Wave got to Lubbock before Syura got to him, so he was still safe. After explaining what had happened, Lubbock reluctantly allowed Wave to take him to his new cell.

"Captain, Lubbock is here."

Esdeath looked up. "Ah, excellent. You are very lucky, Lubbock. If it wasn't for Tatsumi's condition, who knows what might have happened to you?"

Lubbock blinked at that. Condition? What was she talking about? Tatsumi refused to look in his eyes.

Esdeath stood up. "Now, I'll give you two a moment to talk among yourselves. But don't plan to run away, otherwise that old geezer will probably try to kill you."

And with that, she left, leaving Wave to look after the two.

"Tatsumi," Lubbock hissed. 'What was she talking about."

Tatsumi sighed. "I gave Night Raid one of the greatest chances of taking down the empire."

Lubbock reeled back. "And what is that?"

"It's mostly theoretical, but it may lead the Jaegers and Esdeath away form the Capitol."

"And the price?"

"I must stay by her side. Forever."

Lubbock winced at that. "What about Mine?" He immediately regretted saying that when he saw Tatsumi's face.

"When I find a way to let you go back, tell her that she has to move on. I will love her, but Esdeath will never let me leave her side."

"How am I supposed to escape?"

"We both enter her service, though only i will be staying. Wave, get over here, you might as well know as well."

Wave, who had been trying his best not to eavesdrop sighed. "Yeah, yeah."

He looked at the two. "Although I agree with your intentions, I don't like the way that your methods work. However, at this point, it seems that there is no choice.

"Besides, it looks like the Captain is willing to follow your plan. I can punch Enshin and Syura in the face if you want me to. Suzuka and Dorothea would be stupid in opposing her, but the main problem will be Kurome. She won't detach from the Empire easily..."

"Who said we were regening?"

Wave looked at Tatsumi in surprise. "What were you planning?"

"We will have Esdeath tell them of a rumor about a reincarnation artifact there. However, it is supposedly guarded by deadly Danger Beasts, those that could match a Tyrant blow for blow."

"And you just thought of this now?"

"Actually, no. There are several logical reasons. First, this rumor was spread for years, since the death of the great king who made the Teigu. There is an entire part of the West that no one dares to settle in. The Empire, I've heard, has tried sending scouts there, before, but no one managed to get out alive, no matter how strong they were."

"And we're just going to go there?"

"They trust Esdeath. Besides, the thought of reincarnation would make some higher ups very happy."

"How are you sure that there is even a possibility of this artifact?"

"That's what I'm going to ask the Lord."

...

"Wave?"

"Your argument is soundly put, and flawless, but one thing worries me. What if, while we're going there, someone orders us back?"

Tatsumi smirked. "I'm sorry, isn't a commander allowed to ignore the order's of others while on the field?"

The three shared a laugh before Wave stood up. "Alright, I'll notify the Captain about your plan, but please."

He looked at the duo until then. "Don't do anything stupid until then There is only so much that the Captain can do before others try to plot against you."

* * *

Wave told Esdeath of the plan, who smirked at Tatsumi's cunning.

"Now the problem with the Wild Hunt," began Wave.

"Oh don't worry about those idiots," she said offhandedly. "They'd have to get past me before they could even do anything to those two."

"Now," she said, taking a more formal tone. "Bring them to me. I would like to inform the Empire of their defection."

Wave nodded, knowing the gravity of the situation before releasing them and putting chains on them.

They were marched into the conference room, where Budo noticed them.

"Esdeath," he growled. 'What are these two prisoners doing outside of their cell?"

"They have decided to join me, geezer."

"Bullshit! I'd know that boy, he's the one who left for Najenda. Why the hell would he leave her?"

"With all due respect sir," Lubbock said in deadly calmness. "Najenda and I had a falling out a few months ago. She wanted to purge everyone in the Capitol, whereas I wanted to merely stem out corruption. Our differences grew, and before you knew it, she snapped.

"She ranted about how I was bringing down the war effort due to my reluctance to get the job done, and gave me an ultimatum. I was to never see her face again and and had to follow all of her orders to the letter, or she would make an example out of me.

"Then, I got annoyed and yelled back at her. I tried to reason that pure destruction would not do anything for the Empire, but she wouldn't listen. We rarely interacted after that."

Budo inspected Lubbock for any sign of lying before sighing.

"And the other one? The inheritor of Incursio."

"Oh, he?" asked Esdeath. "He's my lover."

Silence.

"You fell in love with the enemy?" asked Budo quietly.

"Ah, shut it. I didn't know he was part of Night Raid at the time, but it doesn't matter. As far as I'm concerned, he would never betray me."

"What's your sob story?"

"My village was incredibly poor when the taxes began. To pay for them, me and my friends swore to work in the Capitol to make enough to save them. However, upon reaching the Capitol, I found that one of them was tortured to death, and the other one was injected with Rubola.

"I was furious, and when Night Raid came to kill the person who did this, I decided to join them. I wished to stop this cruelty. But..., it didn't work out. I had no real ties to Night Raid, using them simply to further my goal. I prefer not to kill, as it taints me rather than cleans others."

Budo felt a small twang of sympathy for the boy. He was aware of the corruption and cruelty inside the Empire, but the first thing to do was to unite it.

"Fine, I suppose that it is alright for you to join Esdeath. However, if I hear that you two are conspiring against the Empire, I will not hesitate to kill you, understand?"

The two nodded.

"Now, are you done here, Esdeath?"

"Actually," she smirked. "I'm not."

Budo raised his eyebrow. It wasn't like her to stay longer than a few minutes at a meeting.

"I have reason to suspect that the dreaded West Mire may be holding something very valuable.

"Oh, and what is it?" asked Honest, who had up until now held quiet.

"There is a possibility that there may be an artifact for reincarnation there."

"Bullshit."

Everyone looked at Budo. "I don't know how you got such a ridiculous notion in your head, but you have no grounds."

"Oh, but I actually do."

Budo frowned. Was she actually serious?

"Since the death of the king, rumors have spread about a mass conglomeration of Danger beasts in the West Mire. There have also been some stories about how some teens went inside as a dare and watched, on the outside of course, and saw a fellow of theirs get incinerated by a dragon. An entire part of the forest was obliterated. Then, they swore they saw a bright light encompass the area, and the forest suddenly regrew again. The boy was found unconscious, but not dead, despite there being no trace of him whatsoever before. Ironically, he later died after an infection happened in his chest when doctors tried to find out how he was alive."

Budo stayed silent. It was not like Esdeath to lie. After all, that was the reason she enjoyed insulting him so much. Besides, if this artifact existed, he could sue it to make sure that the Emperor would live a long and fruitful life.

"Can I have your word that as soon as you get the artifact, should it exist, that you will come back into the Empire?"

Esdeath's eyes twinkled. "But of course. I am not one who runs from battle.

Budo sighed. "Just go. If you want the confiscated Teigu, they are near the exit. Tell them I sent you and get out of my sight. I have more important things to discuss than rumors."

Esdeath laughed and led the three out of the room. They picked up the two Teigu, and Esdeath allowed Lubbock to write a brief letter, saying that she would allow him to send it to the spies in the Capitol should he find them.

Lubbock was surprised. "You knew about our spies?"

"Of course, I just didn't do anything because I love the carnage that follows."

They met up with Kurome, who was surprised at the mission and the two new members, but she didn't object.

While walking across the Capitol, Lubbock noticed the two spies. Making a subtle motion to Esdeath, who simply nodded once, he made his way over,

"Hey, guys"

The two looked at him in surprise. "Lubbock! We thought you were killed."

"No, tatsumi saved my life. Here is a message for Najenda." With that, he left.

The two were puzzled by his briefness but decided against speaking about it.

* * *

"I see."

Najenda was immensely relieved to know that Lubbock and Tatsumi were alright.

"Thank you for going this far for us."

The two shook their heads. "All for the war effort." With that, they left.

Najenda walked into the base, with everyone looking at her expectantly.

She read out the letter.

 _Hey guys, Lubbock here._

 _I know, some of you will probably make a joke on my expense about how my perverted nature brought this upon me._

 _But don't worry, we'll be fine. Tatsumi made the ultimate sacrifice to ensure a weakened Empire. He is leading Esdeath towards the West, which should allow you enough time to strike the Empire. Only Budo will be your problem._

 _Those Wild Hunt guys are jerks, but they're pretty strong. Still, I'm pretty sure that s glancing shot from Pumpkin is still strong enough to kill them._

 _Mine...I'm sorry to say this, but you might not be able to see Tatsumi again. Esdeath has practically claimed Tatsumi for her own. he told you that no matter what, he will still love you, but that you should probably find someone else._

 _With that being said, I might be able to run away and join you guys again soon, but I'm not counting on it._

 _From,_

 _Lubbock_

 _P.S. Miss Najenda, I'll probably be too chicken to say this later, but I wanted to say that I truly hope that you come out of this alive with the rest of Night Raid._

Mine broke down after hearing this, with Leone comforting her. Najenda blushed slightly, knowing the implications of the last message, but she shook it off quickly. They had a job to do.

"All right, Night Raid. We've been given te perfect opportunity to strike the Empire now. The two paid a heavy price, and I won't let that go in vain.

"It's time to go hunting."


	2. Chapter 2

**Yeah, I'm finally updating this story.  
**

 **Now, the basic plot of this story will be that the Jaegers go to relatively unknown land to investigate this 'resurrection device' and their trials within that area. Expect a shit ton of trials.  
**

Tatsumi stretched his limbs. They had finally gathered all the Jaegers, although it was a pain to drag a dramatic Bols away from his equally dramatic family. Eventually, the two parties agreed to place them under Budo's protection, fearing any issues that may arise with Bols being gone.

As he yawned, Esdeath stole a glance at him before hiding a smile. She couldn't help but find it adorable whenever he made such an innocent and vulnerable face. Although, in all honesty, she found his 'serious' face to be equally appealing.

"Captain?"

"Yes, Bols?"

"Not to appear rude, but I think I speak for most of us when asking where we are going and why there are two Night Raid members with us." Upon hearing this, Lubbock and Tatsumi shuffled unconsciously under their gazes. Lubbock especially cringed under Seryuu's glare.

"If I tell you our true agenda, you must all swear that no word of this gets out. I have no time for playing games, for bigger quarry await me."

"Yes, Miss Esdeath," replied Wave.

"Of course, for a person as stylish as I am must always be a man of his word," answered Dr. stylish with his usual flourish.

"Of course, Captain," Ran replied.

"Your word is law, captain, and I will follow it to the bitter end," replied Bols solemnly.

"... Yes." Kurome, unlike the others, did not botehr with using more words than necessary, instead choosing to stare at Tatsumi.

"No problem! A person of justice always keeps a promise!" shouted Seryuu proudly.

Esdeath smirked. "Very well. We are going to the West Mires, in search of a rumored device that can resurrect someone. However, that is not the only reason. Personally, I couldn't give a shit about this device, but apparently there are some incredibly powerful enemies just waiting to be slaughtered over there," she said with a smile as she licked her lips in anticipation of a brutal fight.

"Also, we are using this to also allow Lubbock leave and rejoin Night Raid. Tatsumi has agreed to stay in his place."

"WHAT?! WHY?!" shouted Seryuu. "We finally have captured a criminal, so why are we letting him go?!"

"Seryuu, everyone, I believe it is time for me to reveal to you the truth of the empire. Although, I do believe that Ran, Dr. Stylish, and Bols know this already. The Capital is not a glorious place. It is a den of absolute corruption. The prime minister is a disgusting pig that toys with the emperor. Rapes, murders, and organized crime occur everywhere. Because of this, the Revolution and Night Raid formed to counteract this corruption. The Path of Peace also decided to go against the Capital because of this. While Captain Ogre was by no means an evil person, he was not the greatest either. In all honesty, I think the only person he actually showed some kindness to were his troops, your parents, and you. He would not hesitate to dispose of anyone else."

Seryuu fell silent at these revelations before looking away. However, Kurome then spoke up.

"No ... I refuse to believe it ... the Capital ... nee-san was in the wrong, not it ... but, without the Capital, I'll die! The drugs will kill me!"

"And who do you think gave you those drugs in the first place?" asked Tatsumi quietly.

"No ... NONONONONONO! Shut up!" she roared, as insanity wracked through her head before charging at Tatsumi with Yatsufusa and a massive amount of killing intent.

However, suddenly she was blocked by Lubbock's shoulder, who winced at the feeling of pain blossomed as blood began to fall. "Hey, Akame's sister, if you're going to attack anyone, attack me. I'm the only Night Raid member here, remember?"

Kurome's eyes narrowed before she gave a quick nod and settled into an offensive position. Lubbock, however, simply readied Cross Tail, and took a deep breath. Esdeath took Tatsumi, much to his chagrin, and plopped him on her lap while the remaining members watched the duel begin.

As Kurome rushed at Lubbock, her eyes widened slightly at seeing that her opponent was no longer there. Looking around, she found that he was nowhere in sight.

"Boo," whispered a voice behind her. Swing her blade behind her, she growled as she felt it not hit anything. As she prepared to look for her opponent, she noticed the blood trails that Lubbock was leaving behind.

Following these trails, she realized that she was heading for a cliff before halting her progress. Upon feeling a slight weight on her body, she realized the danger that she was in before it was too late.

"Checkmate." With that, Lubbock pulled on the strings and Kurome found herself tied up upside down while also losing her grip on Yatsufusa.

"Your first mistake was not taking advantage of Yatsufusa's corpses to track me down. That way, you could achieve what you needed without taking such a risk. Then, you made the rookie mistake of looking only at my vitals, despite knowing about my Teigu. My hands were moving continuously throughout the match, it's really a shock how you did not see it. You also failed to neglect how cautious I am. I always leave behind spools of thread so that I can sense any disturbances or threats that may be near us. This gave me an advantage in terms of how many people I was dealing with as well as their position in relation to mine. Your final mistake was your over reliance on my blood trail. Because of this, I could take advantage of this and lead you to a trap. "

"I'm a goddamn veteran, kid," glared Lubbock. "If you want to fight Akame, get on my level first."

With that, he left a stunned Kurome on the floor as he yanked back all the strings.

"Anyone else?" he asked at he stared at the other Jaegers.

* * *

After the duel, no one dared to challenge Lubbock for fear of losing as badly as Kurome did. The fact that he had disabled her without applying any serious effort meant that he was a formidable enemy, especially considering how Kurome was their best warrior, with Wave not far behind.

Tatsumi groaned. "Now that the duel is over, can we please go back to finding the Lord? I need to ask him something."

"Of course, dear. Just let me cuddle with you some more. I'll let you leave in another five hours."

"Five hours? Isn't that a little extreme?" he asked, looking at the Jaegers for help. Bols had stars in his eyes for his commander following his advice correctly, Dr. Stylish was busy plotting his next experiment on the unknown creatures of the West Mire, Wave was comforting a distressed Kurome, Ran was discussing possible strategies with Lubbock on some unknown topic, and Seryuu was glaring at Tatsumi for being ungrateful at Esdeath's affection.

Tatsumi sighed before resigning himself to his fate. It wasn't like he could do anything about it.

Esdeath was just too damn powerful.

Esdeath's ears twitched at hearing his sigh and, upon looking at his face, saw his crestfallen look?

 _'Does that meeting really matter that much to him?'_ she wondered.

"If you want, Tatsumi, I can always rearrange it so that we leave now." Upon hearing this, Tatsumi looked at her with wide eyes and a look of disbelief. Nodding her head, Esdeath suddenly found herself hugged tightly by Tatsumi.

It was then that Esdeath decided that she wanted to keep Tatsumi happy for as long as possible, if it meant returning her affections.

"Thank you so much, it really means a lot to me."

"Of course. I would do anything for you, Tatsumi."

As the group packed up, Seryuu then walked up to Tatsumi, although no emotion could be seen on her face.

"When you're little chat is done, please come see me. I wish to talk to you."

* * *

Eventually, the group arrived at the core church of the Path of peace. Many warriors tensed as they saw the Jaegers, but immediately grew confused at seeing Lubbock and Tatsumi with them.

"Sir," said one of them, looking at Lubbock. "Why are they here?" he asked, while pointing a slightly shaking finger at the Jaegers.

"Relax, kid. They're not hostiles. They're allies now. If you don't want them near your leader, just keep them here. You guys have no problem with that, right?" he hollered back. Everyone except for Tatsumi nodded their heads and began to unpack some light stuff.

"Bring Tatsumi over to the Lord. Apparently, he needs an audience with him." With that, Lubbock left, leaving no room for argument despite the sputtering soldier that looked at the group in fear.

As Tatsumi was escorted, he noticed that among the soldiers, there were also families, wives and children. The elderly attempted to placate the sobbing widows while the children played around with some of the younger members of the Path.

"Our Path is devoted to promoting unity," said the soldier, as he answered Tatsumi's inner question. "We take in any refugees and make sure that they can get as much as possible. There is no special treatment, even the Lord himself is willing to share our hardships. We believe in a democracy, since every human being is still a human and thus has the capacity of doing right. Everyone has the power to do what is right."

Tatsumi kept silent at these proclamations, however. He knew firsthand how naive those thoughts were.

Everyone is human yes, but that also meant that everyone had their own opinion, Everyone would be more inclined to do things that would fit their own personal agenda more than actually doing it for the people. It was a cruel, but true, statement and ultimately a true democracy would lead to absolute anarchy.

Legends dictated that the Dorian empire, from eons ago, attempted to rule using such a method. It entitled its civilians to have a greater voice as well as become more progressive compared to its Ionian and Locrian neighbors but ultimately failed as when the Medes Invasions began, no decision could be made.

Humans simply could not be trusted with power.

Perhaps that is why upended monarchies always turned into monarchies. Perhaps, there was once a conqueror who felt the same as the Path, but soon saw the folly of those actions.

As the group stood in front of the Lord's tent, the guards in the front notified him before parting from the entrance, allowing Tatsumi to enter.

"Hello again, Tatsumi."

"Thank you for sparing your time, Lord."

"Think nothing of it. What is a little meeting among friends? Although, I do wonder about the company you keep."

"They're ... neutral at the moment. By some freak stroke of luck, I managed to get them out of the Capital and out of Honest's hands."

"I see. And where are you headed next?"

"The West Mire."

"Oh ... so you are looking for **T** **HAT** ," said the Lord, all mirth leaving his tone, causing Tatsumi to shiver.

"Tatsumi, I care about you as well as everyone, well maybe aside from Honest, but I need you to understand one thing."

"Of course, please speak your mind."

"The West Mire is far larger than it appears. Although it seems like a large forest, it is much more than that. The magic of druids, Wyldfae, the Hunt, and many more hide the true face of the West Mire. Swamp lands dominate for miles, a barren desert inhabits a patch of earth with the equivalent area of our countryside, mountains jut out of an abyss like a trap for dragons and giants. If I were to give you my honest opinion as of now, only Esdeath has a decent chance of leaving this affair alive, much less with that artifact."

"..."

"I'm not saying that you've made a horrible decision. The West Mire is much more tamer than it was before. The Hunt has left this realm, the Alaron Confederacy has given up their souls to the forest, and countless more beasts that could match the Tyrant have either fallen into a deep slumber or died."

"... How do you know all this?"

"My father. The Dreamwalker, a renowned Orc mystic who could communicate with the deities above and speak through dreams. He could force his enemies into an eternal of being in boiling sulfur and brimstone, but was incredibly pacifistic and fought only when nature herself was threatened. His affair with my mother led to some resentment from some of the more traditional orc members, but eventually my mother and I were assimilated into a tribe. It was a peaceful life until Honest's men arrived. Deeming the orcs as impure creatures, the soldiers attacked us with superior numbers and weaponry. I had never seen my father so angry in my life. He created incarnates of Man's Nightmares, and left no soldier alive. Although he failed to get Honest, he succeeded in protecting most of the tribe. There was one person he failed to protect, though, my mother. Honest had stolen her in the middle of the confusion and her violated body was found with her limbs severed and a cut across her throat, her torso imapled on a stake in the middle of the road for all to see."

A tear slid down the Lord's face as he retold his story. "That night, Father died. Not out of wounds, as no one had ever touched him, but out of a broken heart. His absolute rage and misery had overwhelmed his peaceful nature and my mother's death cemented his fate. As tradition dictated, the flesh of a dead father was fashioned into a cloak, so that even in death, the son will be cared for. That night, the tribe cried for the first time in years. That night, I swore that I would not accept anything less than kindness. I will never forget the kindness that the orcs showed my family, and I will never forget the sheer cruelty of Honest.

"The orcs are considered Danger beasts due to their non-human look. It also has to do with our mythic strength and our shamanic magic. Yet, I can't help but feel that orcs are more human than actual humans. They can keep peace. They can calm a crying child within a matter of seconds, and I have never seen anyone more kind in this Empire than my kinsmen. Contrary to popular belief, we are rather peaceful, seeking only to fight in hunting for food, and we never allowed any part of an animal to go to waste. The bones were used for soup as well as tents, the bladder was often played with the children as a balloon once inflated, and the excrement was used as fertilizer for crops. Father was the kindest soul I met, and he never failed to give me advice that would help me in the future.

The Lord then stared at the ceiling. "Even in death, Father would speak to me in my dreams and give me crucial information. Last night, he gave me a hint that the tide would shift in our favor. Perhaps, this is it.

"Now, Tatsumi," he said with the mirth back in his voice. "I do believe that you did not come here to hear about my past. What do you need?"

"... Lord, please give me guidance."

"Oh? Do tell. Perhaps I can be of assistance."

"I'm bringing a demon and her subordinates away from the Capital. The demon officially claims me now, thus I cannot stay with Mine anymore. My original plan was to give Night Raid an opening, but now I am looking forward to using the resurrection device. Yet, do I want them to see me like this? A killer with the blood of others on his hands, surrounded by other killers?"

Silence rang through the room as the Lord mulled over his problem.

"It seems, Tatsumi, that you are lacking in hope. All I can say is, never lose faith in a better future. After all, you will never realize when you have achieved your goal if you never set one for yourself."


	3. Chapter 3

**Well. Time to update this fic.  
**

 **Yeah, I really don't know what to say anymore. Oh yeah, as I mentioned in the summary, this is an AU where the Jaegers are still alive. You know, cause it's an AU.**

As Tatsumi stepped out of the Lord's tent with renewed hope, and found himself face to face with Seryuu.

"Are you done?"

"Yes."

"Good," she replied. "Come with me."

A little confused and a little fearful, Tatsumi did as ordered. Seryuu led him into a deep part of the forest, and gestured for him to sit down on a rock, while she sat down in front of him.

"You know," she began. "I've never had an easy life. My parents was killed by outlaws and I had to look for Captain Ogre for help. Never once did I suspect that he was doing anything wrong.

"He was a good man, Tatsumi. You have to understand that. He looked after me like I was his own daughter. If anyone tried hitting on me or bullying me, he would be there to step in and proceed to beat them seven shades of black and blue."

Seryuu laughed weakly. "Captain Ogre fanned the fires of my zeal for justice by giving me prisoners to 'interrogate.' He said that as criminals, we were free to do anything we wanted to ensure that they saw the wrongs of their past. In other words, they had zero rights and we were free to torture them as much as we want.

"I didn't think of my actions at the time. All I thought of was a way to avenge my parent's deaths.

"But deep down, I felt that something was wrong. When I took Koro out for walks, I saw the apprehensive stares of the people. Although I always gave a cheerful smile, I never understood why they looked away or left. The children would play with me, but their mothers would always make them leave for some reason.

"I didn't know," she said, breaking down and beginning to sob. "I didn't know how cruel my actions were! How they made me a pariah, how they made me look evil. All I ever thought of was justice. I didn't know!"

Tatsumi looked at her with pangs of sympathy.

"I'm sorry. I really am."

Seryuu looked at him with tears in her eyes.

"How do you do it? How do you bear the burden of those you've killed, of the fact that you are a murderer?"

"I don't."

Seryuu looked at him with surprise and curiosity.

"I've never gotten over the fact that I've had to kill. I've never gotten over the fact that some of my victims were nice people, some that were simply manipulated into the dark side.

"But whenever I think of my actions, I did what you did: I tried to rationalize them, tried to justify them. yet, unlike you, I was met with disappointment. i could never find a proper reason for killing them. I only held a grudge against Honest and I, never against anyone else. Even when Bulat, Schele, Chelsea, and Suu were killed, I couldn't hold a grudge no matter how hard I tried.

"When Schele died, I thought I hated you, but I didn't. I hated myself for not being strong enough to protect her, even if I was not there. I hated myself for causing her to worry over my ineptitude.

"When Bulat died, I thought I hated the Three Beasts, but I didn't. The Three Beasts died before I could hate them, and Bulat died avenging himself. He and his opponent died with good will in their hearts, and thus I hated myself again - for having to rely on Bulat for support. If I was stronger, he wouldn't have had to risk his life for me.

"When Chelsea died, I thought I hated Kurome for killing her, but I didn't. I realized that Chelsea's own misfortune led her to meeting Kurome before anyone else. I remembered Akame's words of how Kurome struggled under the drugs of the Capital, so I didn't hold a grudge against her either. I hated myself for not being able to reach her in time, before she embarked on her little assassination attempt.

"When Suu died, I thought I hated Esdeath for destroying him, but I didn't. Suu died protecting us, and Esdeath treated him as an honorable warrior, not as a Teigu. She treated him like we did. I hated myself for not being able to resist her longer, not being able to protect my friends like Suu did.

"Every single one of my friends' deaths, I hated myself for. Every single one, I thought of what would have happened if I was a little stronger, enough to last help them out. But it wasn't healthy to blame myself for everything, so I had another target: Honest.

"The so-called 'Prime Minister' taxed my village beyond compensation. His corrupted regime led to my two best friends being tortured and killed on my second day in the Capital. He manipulated the Emperor from an honest ruler to a puppet.

"Ever since then, I hated Honest. How his luck meant that none of the Wild Hunt nor any of you died, making us appear weak, how he survived with such horrible actions, and how, above all, it was him that led me down this dark path.

"So, to answer your question, I don't bear the burden. I embrace it. I wield it. I _am_ my burden."

Although Seryuu did not make any response to this proclamation, the light shining in her eyes gave way to her look of understanding and realization.

Together, the two former enemies shared a smile.

* * *

"We're here," stated Esdeath.

The group stared at the woodland expanse before them. Lubbock had remained at the camp, where Night Raid would eventually meet him.

Kurome shifted uncomfortably. "Do you feel that?"

Esdeath nodded. "An illusion. A rather powerful one at that. I believe that this is your area of expertise, Dr. Stylish."

"But of course, Mistress Esdeath! Remain quiet and concentrate. A vibe of absolute silence should reach your ears. Normally this would simply refer to lack attention to surroundings, but that only applies to ... frivolous lovemaking. Instead, what you are sensing is the very presence of the illusion. It masks what it does, too perfectly. As such, there is an entire void where it should be. Judging by the enormous silence, I am ashamed to say that i cannot fathom how large this is."

"Aptly stated," approved Esdeath. "As such, your imperfect guess work is excused. Instead, we should be focusing on entering the area."

As the group entered the entrance to the West Mire, their eyes widened at the sight before them.

Rolling expanses stretched as far as the eye could see. Mountains rose so high that it appeared as if they touched the sky. Forests and Jungles turned part of the landscape into a dense patch of green. An area was completely frozen, glaciers rivaling mountain ranges dwarfing anything in its regions. A patch of land was completely barren, volcanic rock oozing lava as if it never stopped flowing before receding into the ground.

"Amazing," gasped Wave.

"yeah," smirked Kurome. "'Cause you're from the country, fish-boy."

As the group proceeded forward, wherever it would take them, Tatsumi noticed a sign.

 _For those that seek the treasure of the Mire, the trials must be overcome._

 _\- the Archaic Oakwood, guardian of the forests_

 _\- the Crystalline Construct, legend of the mountains_

 _\- the Abomination of Plants, demon of the jungles_

 _\- the Apa Lord, destroyer of the waters_

 _\- the Beholder, scourge of the lands  
_

 _\- the Sentinel, bane of the deserts_

 _\- the Draconic Triage, horror of the volcanoes_

 _\- the Undying Hydra, keeper of the wastelands_

 _\- the Sand Wyrm, hellion of the coasts_

 _\- the D'archangel, render of worlds_

 _\- the Fel'immotals, twin aspects of the primordial void_

 _\- the Replicates, those that test your ability to conquer yourself_

 _\- the Tredecim, the final guardians_

 _Once the trials have been complete, assuming the other dwellers of the Mire have not killed you, the treasure will be yours_

Esdeath grinned with relish upon seeing the list of those she intended to slaughter while the others blanched.

"Captain," started Ran. "Don't you think this all seems a little ... extreme?"

"Why Ran, one would almost think you do not agree with my sentiments on this matter."

"It is not that, Captain, but I think that facing 13 trials seems overwhelming for a simple artifact."

"We're talking about resurrection," answered Tatsumi quietly. "The capability to bring back someone from the dead, without any issues. Would you take extreme measures to avoid it from leaving you?"

Ran looked thoughtfully at him before nodding. "Point taken."

Esdath grinned before looking at the lands before them.

"It appears that our first target lies in the forests.

"It's time to hunt, Jaegers.

* * *

"Oh, it's you, boss."

"Tch, whatever."

"Let me guess, Budo forbid you from seeing the mother and child."

"It's just two girls! And besides, I'm only taking the older one."

"And leaving the younger at Champ's mercy?"

"Did someone call me?" asked an amused third voice.

"Get the hell out of here," replied the second, evidently the leader. "Go molest a choirboy or something."

"As tempting as that sounds, I have my eyes set on a wonderful target this time, that darling girl of that Jaeger."

"Ugh," gagged the first. "You two are disgusting chauvinists."

"At least we don't strangle our sex partners or drain their blood," countered the boss.

"Nor do we bathe their blood in our weapons or rape them 'til their bones are crushed," noted Champ.

"I believe that I, along with Dorothea, am the most reserved when with our victims," commented a fourth voice.

"That's cause you're a masochist," grunted the boss. "At any rate, you'd kill your partners through exhaustion."

"Probably," she agreed. "Although, I am looking forward to that boy again, Tatsumi was it?"

"Oh, him," the boss snorted. "Esdeath's little boy toy. I think I teleported them before. Pretty unassuming thing, though I heard that he's vicious with Incursio."

"Oh we can't have that," drawled Champ. "It appears that I must purify him. I'm sure he'll be pleased. I know I will be."

The others stared at him in disgust.

"You're a monster," commented the next voice, an arrogant male one similar to the leader.

"I am what I am."

"So then," smirked the leader. "Shall we pay the Jaegers a visit?"

* * *

As the group trekked through the forest, moderate danger beasts like Rampage Bears and Stone Golems lay around, but they were mostly cannon fodder for the group.

Tatsumi roared as the familiar armor of Incursio enveloped him before grappling with a Stone Golem's arms. With it pinned down, it could not manipulate the earth around it.

Head-butting it, he capitalized on it's momentary distraction by summoning Neuntote and diving it into it's chest. As it screeched in pain, he wrenched it's chest open before crushing the sentient crystal that lay within, extinguishing it's life.

Wave grimaced at the brutal execution. "Damn, Tatsumi, you're almost as brutal as Esdeath."

Esdeath smirked. "Trust me, that's nothing." She then proceeded to experiment on a Rampage Bear, to the horror of the others.

Seryuu looked green before excusing herself. "It's not a criminal ... but it's in our way ... ugh ..."

Bols scanned the ground while Ran looked from above. "Any sign of the guardian, Ran?"

"Nope. I assume no luck on your end as well, Bols."

"Affirmative. Wait ... oh, my."

All Jaegers stopped what they were doing before turning to Bols. "What is it, Bols?" asked Dr. Stylish.

"I think I found it." As the group looked to where he was pointing, their eyes widened at the size of the enemy.

A thirty foot tall construct with the faint glow of a sentient crystal enamating from within, it was seemingly composed of tree trunks, plants, and metal. Its right arm ended in a shield that doubled as a battering ram, completely encrusted in layers of iron. It's right arm was oddly intricate, made to replicate a real hand. Its eyes were empty and it seemed dead before it noticed their presence, the glow of the sentient crystal brightening.

As it stood up, it gave off a massive roar before slamming a mighty foot on the ground, causing tree spike to erupt at their direction.

"Oh yes," cackled Esdeath gleefully as she soared into the air. "THIS is what I want!"

* * *

"Good to have you back, you damn pervert," grinned Leone as she gave Lubbock a light boogie after they met up with the Lord's encampment.

"You know," he said while darting a glance at Najenda. "I'm thinking of settling down once this is all over. No more shower peeks from me, aren't you glad?"

"No, it doesn't give me an excuse to clobber you."

Mine had left, unable to look at Lubbock without being reminded of Tatsumi's sacrifice.

"Hey, Akame," asked Lubbock as she stared into the distance. "You alright."

She looked at him and gave a small smile before looking back into the west.

"I'm fine."

As everyone prepared to go to war, she had a look of determination on her face.

"Tatsumi ... you're one of us ... I promise that we'll get you out ... just keep your promise for me."


End file.
